With over 45+ racers attending this event we were stoked to get rolling and of course staying safe on those streets! The suffer cat consisted of 5 checkpoints scattered all over the city with an easy concept: For each checkpoint you went to you had too come back to the start line, There was no order. So as they made us line up our bikes across the streets we knew we had to be one of the first ones out and head to the furthest checkpoint on the manifest. As the rest of the party stayed watching who was coming in, it was hard to tell who was in the lead since everyone scattered and hit different checkpoints making it a close race. 43 miles in and there was one last checkpoint remaining for Rios and Barra along with 2 other athletes. After a couple hours, a few beers and the sun finally setting we saw a White Lazer Helmet sprinting for the finish. RIOS! with all 5 cards from his checkpoints and not far back Barra as well. We were so stoked to get 1st and 2nd for the Annual SufferCat and wouldn't have been possible without the help of some locals and organizers. This was definitely a suffer fest and most importantly a fun race. It is always good to be reminded that its not all serious and about racing crits. We grew up with the love of fixedgear racing in the streets whether it was a checkpoint race or a open course traffic crit, we live this lifestyle and as more pro retired athletes take adaptation of the brakeless track bike only the true riders own it out there on the streets! So if you're one of them keep crushing! Thank you Phoenix for being welcoming and letting us check out your city. Special Thanks to Jesse and the crew at @theheavypedal and @trackordieNYC for the goods times, rad hangs, and keeping us safe out there.
Cover photo by @boostamantefotos Check out more of his coverage here.
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The Qualifiers started with the Track Category with Heat 1 (us) going up first. With big names in that heat like Colin and Addison we aimed to lay down a fast lap to position a grid spot on the front line. It worked, all 3 of our top riders advanced to the finals landing a spot in the top 15. As we watched the rest of the heats go up we saw some gnarly crashes on turn 1 that made officials widen up the course and not have it too narrow. A good move by the officials and keeping the course as safe as possible. As the qualifiers came to an end we got back on the rollers and started warming up for the Final race of the season for us.
Out of 92 athletes only 50 qualified for the finals, out of those 50 we were sitting in top 15. As officials called each of us to the start line you can feel the intensity in the air and a sense of relief that this was the final moments before they start gunning down the course at a 28mph average speed. Just like that, BOOM! The race had started and we were moving! With 15 laps in you can see the front field gaining up on the last riders remaining which made things a bit difficult since officials said they weren't going to pull any riders that got lapped so the front pack was unsure if they should go around them. Officials had no choice but to pull just about 10 riders or so from the race and let them keep racing without pulling anyone for about 7 laps, things got sketchy and the race got faster! After a few more laps you could see who was in the top 20 field with all of our 3 riders still in the battle. One by one they started getting picked off as the race grew more intense and everyone with the same state of mind of not being the last one. Overall we came here with one goal and we definitely left it all in the field. We came close and are stoked for the lineup for our 2018 roster. Our San Antonio local James came in at a solid 9th place with our newest team member Barra coming in 11th place. Jerry came close to the top 15 pay out and landed a 16th place finish. We were so stoked at the amount of support we got from everyone specially the locals that kept us going hard, non of this would have been possible with out our supporters. We closed that chapter and headed to @BBSC for the Unofficial Official After Party / Alleycat we were hosting with our friends at Bottom Bracket and the experience was unforgettable. We had a great time with everyone and too many lone stars as we should have. If you appreciate good photography check out some awesome actions shots by our friend @txtroublemaker and give him a follow.
Thank you
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With top athletes lining up on the start line we knew it wasn't going to be an easy battle and just like that on the first lap the whole field got strung out. We battled to move up spots but with 2 hairpins, each turn the group slowed down, with the front pack gaining every second to get ahead of the chase pack.
With 7 laps to go the 4 athletes that broke away ended up lapping the field and although it wasn't our best performance we were stoked that the win came back to SoCal, a local and a friend of ours @c.bauke won the race against the heavy hitters.
The next morning we decided to grab our bikes and explore the city, we ended up doing a 35 mile loop around Golden State Park and across the Golden Gate Bridge. We decided to ride through the city and back towards Mission District to check out Twin Peaks. A local spot for the locals looking for a climb and good views. It was definitely gnarly!
Enjoy these quick recap videos of our team racing along side our friends and the TRKLRD running the streets of the bay! BeyondBrutal x ThroneCycles
Local LA photographer Julio Boostamante was in town for the race as well and of course he worked his magic behind the lens. With only about 45 registered racers Bone Machine hosted individual time trials for qualifiers and the fastest time having the 1st spot in the grid line up. We qualified in the in the top 15 so we weren't to far behind but that didn't matter because as soon as the race started is full on slayer mode! What seemed to be each lap getting faster the field got strung out and riders started hitting the pavement on the hairpin turns. We tried to play it smart and bridge some gaps and not let a breakaway happen by sitting in the peleton. Maybe running a smaller ratio would have worked better for us but we did what we though was best and with 5 to go it was attack after attack! We went in with one thing in mind, Stay Alive! and we did that! Ha! We came in 10th and 12th in the final race with only 14 or so athletes surviving the carnage, by far one of the best technical courses we have ever raced in. So thanks again Portland, Bone Machine, Grilled Cheese Truck, and all the local coffee shops! See ya soon. For more coverage check out the feeds of @quickdrawdubois , @what_the_heck , @cri.stianmartinez and @thronecycles #CritSLayer
]]>On May 7th 2016, racers from across the world came to Long Beach CA for the season opener of the Wolfpack Hustle Unified Title Series with one goal, to race bikes on a closed circuit in downtown LBC. We have always enjoyed this circuit for it being fast paced and keeping the adrenaline high. With the same format as previous years there was about 180 athletes qualifying and only the top 85 would move forward in the main event. That whole weekend was a great experience for us as we got to hang out with some new and familiar faces including our newest member of our family James Dubois a local to the San Antonio Crits and an overall great athlete. Since this year there wasn't a road category the show started later than usual which worked well since we were in the last qualifier among some of the best in the game including So Cals finest from Bahati Racing and international riders like Mario from IRD. With a great team lined up we had one thing in mind, get out there, have fun, and leave it all on the field. Qualifiers came by fast and we managed to secure slots in the first 4 rows of the main event. Looking around the field we knew we were going to have to drop our A game if we wanted to secure a spot on the podium.
The women track field went up first leaving the Men for the finale but that didn't stop these women from racing hard and fast and with about 6 laps to go our team rider Natalie had to get pulled because the front pack gained on her. As the men lined up for the finale you could feel the tense and eagerness for the race to start. This 4 corner circuit takes a lot of effort and tactics to move up on the field and like many other races one has to be cautious and look ahead at all times for any fallen riders. With a 30 lap countdown our team had a good solid position in the front pack making moves and pulls to try to extend the peloton and not let anyone break away. There was a few crashes prior to the big major crash that a lot of racers went down including team rider Hector that took a tumble with his #ThronePrism and James showing his handling skills as he jumped over some fallen riders busting a Sagan move like in Roubaix. That tumble didn't stop Hector, he got back up and jumped on his saddle and continued to race lucky they stopped the race and restarted it at the start line. By this time more than half the field was already lapped and Cristian was stuck avoiding those spills making him pull out of the race earlier than expected. They lined up once again, quick bike check, and Don counted them down as they stormed off to get a good position in the front. Hector was holding a great position in the front and with 2 laps to go another major crash after turn 2 went down leaving a rider unconscious and having no other option but for another restart. To keep the crowd on its feet they started the race again but this time with 5 laps to go making it an all out war between some of the best and as they came on turn 3 it was all or nothing everyone positioned themselves for the final sprint and when getting out of turn 4 it was a free for all. Finishing at 9th and 15th place we finished the Shortline Crit in a good position and rode away in one piece and just in time to party with the rest of the crew. We are glad none of our riders suffered any serious injury in one of the most intense #ShortlineCrit races that has ever gone down and thank everyone at WolfpackHustle for making this event run smooth and taking the caution to keep everyone safe. Thanks to our partners SwiftwickSocks and MonstrowCycling
Enjoy some killer shots by our friends @Keivan.O and @BoostamanteFotos
]]>We saw a lot of familiar faces and definitely some new ones riding their Throne Cycles builds. The closer we got to the Ocean though the heavier the marine layer got. We estimated about 600 plus riders came out to enjoy this annual ride. It's not everyday you can ride trough the city with no cars on route. The ride ended at Santa Monica beach and we gathered up our crew to hit the pier and enjoy some scenery. We took a stroll along the beach and ended up at Dogtown Cafe for some coffee and breakfast burritos. If you ever plan to visit Los Angeles this would be a great time if you'd like to ride freely on a closed course. Stay posted and check out more pics on our Instagram @thronecycles.
]]>9:45am and the alarm clock is ringing as we rush to get ready for the race. We took a quick spin to the Driveway where the race was going to take place, only to find out we were early with enough time to get warmed up. Our team was on Group 4 with a few friends from LA we knew if we stayed close and jammed it as a group we would have a higher chance of getting a good position in the qualifier and that's exactly what we did. With a glitch in the timing chips and what seemed to be a delay while they got that sorted out All 97 racers were allowed to race since the cut was only 15 people. We sat in the 30s so we had a good position. As we calmly waited the Woman track finale was up and that meant our rider Natalie was up. last minute doubts made her run a big ratio that she was not use too and the way these women were riding they didn't hold anything back. With 8 laps to go the front pack caught up to her leaving her no choice but to take a DNF for the first time in the series. 97 racers lined up for the Men Track Finale with our team holding positions in the top 30s. Just as the race started the group was already separated with a few break away attempts, the chase pack, the pelaton, and the stragglers. With 3 laps in riders were already getting pulled and taken off the course because the front pack was coming in hot and for that matter no break away attempts managed to stick. On the 7th lap coming in to the first chicane 2 riders from different teams ended up colliding and falling in the front pack, with no quick choice to be made our team rider Cristian couldn't avoid the crash and in the process ended up going over his bars and resulting in a broken clavicle. We still had Angel and Hector pushing in the front lead working together to crank up the pace. This race was definitely one of the fastest race hosted by Wolfpack Hustle and it came down to the final sprint. With one last attempt to break away from an LA local a 52 year old bridged the gap and went all out on the last sprint winning the Austin Crit. Angel came in at a solid 11th place as he sprinted with Safa from Leader bikes for that top 10 finish. Just behind them was Hector coming in at 16th place. Overall we are stoked on the results of this final race and the achievement our team has accomplished. We have come a long way since we first started and are proud to say that we have established a solid team from the ground up and thanks to our sponsors that continue to support our team. Built not Bought.
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It was around 6:30 pm and the final list had gone up, only the top 90 racers that qualified out of 200+ participants would be able to race and we all landed in the 30s. We knew coming in the stakes were going to be high just for the fact that there was a blend of pro and amateur racers that were going to battle it out in the first lap to gain position. Experience from last year was if you don't battle to get a good position in the front on the first lap, we were going to be stuck with the chase group hanging for dear life. Natalie showed a killer performance at her final race with 39 women racing she finished her final sprint at 16th place and are proud that she never gave up or got lapped by some of the elite women racers. As the final event came closer our team hit the rollers one last time to get those machines warmed up for battle. Names were being called to get racers lined up to their starting positions, music was spinning, hearts were beating, and camera lights were flashing. 3, 2, 1, GO! and they're off! 5 seconds into the race a huge crash happens on the right side of the field taking out some top notch riders including two of our very own. We stand by Don's call to restart the race and give everyone the race they came to spectate. Lucky non of our riders were critically injured or had malfunctions with their prism builds, but we do know this, Angel's adrenaline was pumping because not till after the race he started feeling his pain. So as the racers lined up again for the second time we had one thing in mind, MOVE UP! MOVE UP! and that's exactly what we did. With 6 laps to go and about 5 crashes dodge already team rider Felipe had moved up to a top 10 position and avoided going down on Hairpin 2 by a crash that happened in front of him, but that move left him with a slow leak on his front wheel. By the time he came out of hairpin 1 it was completely flat and had to pull out for the second time at a Wolfpack event. It was up to Angel and Hector to complete this battle and hold it down for our team and that's exactly what they did. We finished with a 20th and 36th position and never got lapped by the field, they may have won the battle but the war is not over. Till next time.
Check out the video of the First start from our friends GLK Cycling
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